Men's high jump world record progression
The first world record in the men's high jump was recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1912.
As of June, 2009, the IAAF has ratified 40 world records in the event.[1]
Fourteen of the 16 records from 1912 to 1960 were set in the United States and were originally measured in feet and inches; they were converted to metric before being ratified as world records. As of January 1, 1963, records were accepted as metric marks, with marks measured in feet and inches to the nearest quarter-inch and rounded down to the nearest centimetre.[2]: vii, 155–157 When measurements were taken in feet and inches the bar could be raised, for record-attempt purposes, in increments of one-quarter inch. Under the metric system, a new record must be (at least) one centimeter higher. In 1973, American Dwight Stones was the first Fosbury Flop jumper to set a world record. The namesake of the technique, Dick Fosbury impressed the world by winning the 1968 Olympics with the flop, but never held the world record. The last Straddle style jumper to hold the World Record was Vladimir Yashchenko (Soviet Union/Ukraine) in 1978; all record-setters since then have used the Flop technique.
The world record of 2.45 metres (8.04 ft) by Cuban Javier Sotomayor in 1993 has never been surpassed.
Progression
| Ratified | |
| Ratified but later rescinded |
Pre-IAAF
| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.575 m (5 ft 2 in) |  Adam Wilson (GBR) |
Innerleithen | September 26, 1827[3] |
| 1.60 m (5 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Anderson (GBR) |
Innerleithen | July 24, 1829[3] |
| 1.60 m (5 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | John Pattison (GBR) |
Mount Benger | May 6, 1837[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Richard Armstrong (GBR) |
Dalkeith | August 5, 1839[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Roper (GBR) |
Newcastle | April 1, 1850[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Francis Temple (GBR) |
Woolwich | September 21, 1850[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Hanmer Webb (GBR) |
Cambridge | March 17, 1857[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Henry Powell (GBR) |
Oxford | March 15, 1860[3] |
| 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Robert Burton (GBR) |
Harrow | March 27, 1860[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Henry Sampson (GBR) |
Liverpool | June 13, 1863[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | T. Bailey (GBR) |
Liverpool | June 13, 1863[3] |
| 1.675 m (5 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Francis Gooch (GBR) |
Durham | September 2, 1863[3] |
| 1.70 m (5 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Tom Mitchell (GBR) |
Liverpool | July 9, 1864[3] |
| 1.725 m (5 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | John Roupell (GBR) |
Cambridge | March 5, 1866[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | John Roupell (GBR) |
London | March 23, 1866[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Little (GBR) |
London | March 23, 1866[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | J.A. Harwood (GBR) |
London | November 26, 1866[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Herbert Brooks (GBR) |
London | November 26, 1866[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Thomas Little (GBR) |
London | April 12, 1867[3] |
| 1.75 m (5 ft 8+3⁄4 in) | Ronald Mitchell (GBR) |
London | April 9, 1870[3] |
| 1.755 m (5 ft 9 in) | Ronald Mitchell (GBR) |
London | April 3, 1871[3] |
| 1.785 m (5 ft 10+1⁄4 in) |  Tom Davin (IRL) |
Dublin | July 7, 1873[3] |
| 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) |
London | March 30, 1874[3] |
| 1.80 m (5 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Michael Glazebrook (GBR) |
London | March 22, 1875[3] |
| 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) |
Oxford | March 17, 1876[3] |
| 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄4 in) | Marshall Brooks (GBR) |
London | April 7, 1876[3] |
| 1.90 m (6 ft 2+3⁄4 in) | Patrick Davin (IRL) |
Carrick | July 5, 1880[3] |
| 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |  William Page (USA) |
Stourbridge | August 15, 1887[3] |
| 1.93 m (6 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | William Page (USA) |
Philadelphia | October 7, 1887[3] |
| 1.968 m (6 ft 5+1⁄4 in)[a] | George Rowdon (GBR) |
Haytor Camp | August 6, 1890[3] |
| 1.935 m (6 ft 4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) |
New York City | October 8, 1892[3] |
| 1.945 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | James Ryan (IRL) |
Tipperary | August 19, 1895[3] |
| 1.955 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) |
New York City | August 28, 1895[3] |
| 1.955 m (6 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) |
Bayonne | September 2, 1895[3] |
| 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in) | Michael Sweeney (USA) |
New York City | September 21, 1895[3][4][5] |
| 1.98 m (6 ft 5+3⁄4 in) |  George Horine (USA) |
Palo Alto | March 29, 1912[3] |
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)[b] | George Horine (USA) |
United States | April/May 1912[6] |
Post-IAAF
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DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1910 till:2021 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:5 start:1910
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id:Basis value:blue legend:World_record_men's_high_jump
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bar:Leaders width:25 mark:(line,white) align:left fontsize:S shift:(22,-4) from:1910 till:end color:Basis at:1912 text:George Horine_2.00_m at:1914 text:Edward Beeson_2.022_m at:1924 text:Harold Osborn_2.038_m at:1933 text:Walter Marty_2.04_m at:1934 text:Walter Marty_2.06_m at:1936 text:Cornelius Johnson_2.07_m at:1936 shift:(22,2) text:Dave Albritton_2.07_m at:1937 shift:(22,2) text:Mel Walker_2.09_m at:1941 text:Lester Steers_2.11_m at:1953 text:Walt Davis_2.12_m at:1956 text:Charles Dumas_2.15_m at:1957 text:Yuriy Stepanov_2.16_m at:1960 shift:(22,-10) text:John Thomas_2.17_m at:1960 shift:(22,-4) text:John Thomas_2.18_m at:1960 text:John Thomas_2.22_m at:1961 text:Valeriy Brumel_2.23_m at:1961 shift:(22,3) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.24_m at:1961 shift:(22,5) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.25_m at:1962 shift:(22,6) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.26_m at:1962 shift:(22,11) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.27_m at:1963 shift:(22,14) text:Valeriy Brumel_2.28_m at:1971 text:Pat Matzdorf_2.29_m at:1973 text:Dwight Stones_2.30_m at:1976 shift:(22,-8) text:Dwight Stones_2.31_m at:1976 shift:(22,-2) text:Dwight Stones_2.32_m at:1978 shift:(22,-2) text:Franklin Jacobs_2.32_m at:1977 text:Vladimir Yashchenko_2.33_m at:1978 shift:(22,1) text:Vladimir Yashchenko_2.34_m at:1980 shift:(22,-2) text:Jacek Wszola_2.35_m at:1980 text:Dietmar Mögenburg_2.35_m at:1980 shift:(22,5) text:Gerd Wessig_2.36_m at:1983 shift:(22,-5) text:Zhu Jianhua_2.37_m at:1983 shift:(22,2) text:Zhu Jianhua_2.38_m at:1984 text:Zhu Jianhua_2.39_m at:1985 text:Rudolf Povarnitsyn_2.40_m at:1985 shift:(22,2) text:Igor Paklin_2.41_m at:1988 text:Patrik Sjöberg_2.42_m at:1988 shift:(22,2) text:Javier Sotomayor_2.43_m at:1989 shift:(22,2) text:Javier Sotomayor_2.44_m at:1993 text:Javier Sotomayor_2.45_m
</timeline>
| Mark | Athlete | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.00 m (6 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | George Horine (USA) |
Palo Alto, California | 18 May 1912[1] |
| 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) | Edward Beeson (USA) |
Berkeley, California | 2 May 1914[7] |
| 2.03 m (6 ft 7+3⁄4 in) | Harold Osborn (USA) |
Urbana, Illinois | 27 May 1924[8] |
| 2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄4 in) | Walter Marty (USA) |
Fresno, California | 13 May 1933[1] |
| 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) | Walter Marty (USA) |
Palo Alto, California | 28 April 1934[1] |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Cornelius Johnson (USA) |
New York | 12 July 1936[1] |
| 2.07 m (6 ft 9+1⁄4 in) | Dave Albritton (USA) |
New York | 12 July 1936[1] |
| 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Mel Walker (USA) |
Malmö, Sweden | 12 August 1937[1] |
| 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) | Lester Steers (USA) |
Los Angeles | 17 June 1941[1] |
| 2.12 m (6 ft 11+1⁄4 in) | Walt Davis (USA) |
Dayton, Ohio | 27 June 1953[1] |
| 2.15 m (7 ft 1⁄2 in) | Charles Dumas (USA) |
Los Angeles | 29 June 1956[1] |
| 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) |  Yuriy Stepanov (URS) |
Leningrad, Soviet Union | 13 July 1957[1] |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1+1⁄4 in) |  John Thomas (USA) |
Philadelphia | 30 April 1960[1] |
| 2.17 m (7 ft 1+1⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) |
Cambridge, Massachusetts | 21 May 1960[1] |
| 2.18 m (7 ft 1+3⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) |
Bakersfield, California | 24 June 1960[1] |
| 2.22 m (7 ft 3+1⁄4 in) | John Thomas (USA) |
Palo Alto, California | 1 July 1960[1] |
| 2.23 m (7 ft 3+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Moscow | 18 June 1961[1] |
| 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Moscow | 16 July 1961[1] |
| 2.25 m (7 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Sofia, Bulgaria | 31 August 1961[1] |
| 2.26 m (7 ft 4+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Palo Alto, California | 22 July 1962[1] |
| 2.27 m (7 ft 5+1⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Moscow | 29 September 1962[1] |
| 2.28 m (7 ft 5+3⁄4 in) | Valeriy Brumel (URS) |
Moscow | 21 July 1963[1] |
| 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) | Pat Matzdorf (USA) |
Berkeley, California | 3 July 1971[1] |
| 2.30 m (7 ft 6+1⁄2 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) |
Munich | 11 July 1973[1] |
| 2.31 m (7 ft 6+3⁄4 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) |
Philadelphia | 5 June 1976[1] |
| 2.32 m (7 ft 7+1⁄4 in) | Dwight Stones (USA) |
Philadelphia | 4 August 1976[1] |
| 2.33 m (7 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) |
Richmond, Virginia | 2 June 1977[1] |
| 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in) | Vladimir Yashchenko (URS) |
Tbilisi, Soviet Union | 16 June 1978[1] |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |  Jacek Wszoła (POL) |
Eberstadt, West Germany | 25 May 1980[1] |
| 2.35 m (7 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |  Dietmar Mögenburg (FRG) |
Rehlingen, West Germany | 26 May 1980[1] |
| 2.36 m (7 ft 8+3⁄4 in) |  Gerd Wessig (GDR) |
Moscow, Soviet Union | 1 August 1980[1] |
| 2.37 m (7 ft 9+1⁄4 in) |  Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
Beijing, China | 11 June 1983[1] |
| 2.38 m (7 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
Shanghai, China | 22 September 1983[1] |
| 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) | Zhu Jianhua (CHN) |
Eberstadt, West Germany | 10 June 1984[1] |
| 2.40 m (7 ft 10+1⁄4 in) | Rudolf Povarnitsyn (URS) |
Donetsk, Soviet Union | 11 August 1985[1] |
| 2.41 m (7 ft 10+3⁄4 in) | Igor Paklin (URS) |
Kobe, Japan | 4 September 1985[1] |
| 2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in) |  Patrik Sjöberg (SWE) |
Stockholm, Sweden | 30 June 1987[1] |
| 2.42 m (7 ft 11+1⁄4 in) i | Carlo Thränhardt (FRG) |
West Berlin | 26 February 1988[9]: 160 [c] |
| 2.43 m (7 ft 11+1⁄2 in) |  Javier Sotomayor (CUB) |
Salamanca, Spain | 8 September 1988[1] |
| 2.44 m (8 ft 0 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) |
San Juan, Puerto Rico | 29 July 1989[1] |
| 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) | Javier Sotomayor (CUB) |
Salamanca, Spain | 27 July 1993[1] |
See also
- Women's high jump world record progression
- List of Olympic medalists in athletics (men)
- Men's high jump Italian record progression
- Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 346: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').
Notes
- ^ Result sources list this mark as uncertain
- ^ Measured as 6 feet 6 and 1/8th inches, but World Athletics rules round down to the nearest quarter inch.
- ^ This indoor record was also accepted as a world record. However, in 1991 it was rescinded as a world record due to complaints that the flexible parquet flooring gave athletes an unfair advantage.
References
- ^ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. 554–55. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
- ^ Hymans, Richard; Matrahazi, Imre. "IAAF World Records Progression" (PDF) (2015 ed.). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 "Main > Men, High Jump > World Records Progression". Track and Field Statistics.
- ^ Zarnowski, Frank (2005). All-around Men: Heroes of a Forgotten Sport. Scarecrow Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-8108-5423-9. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
"American" winners included Canadian George Gray in the shot put and Irishman Michael Sweeney, who set a high jump world record at 6-5 (1.97 m). In retrospect this meet was the premier track and field meet of the decade.
- ^ Zarnowski, Frank (2005). All-around Men: Heroes of a Forgotten Sport. Scarecrow Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8108-5423-9. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
An American all-star team ... demolished a national British team ... in New York in September by winning every event, several by enlisted Irish immigrants.
- ^ George Horine at Olympedia
- ^ "WORLD'S HIGH JUMP MARK RAISED AGAIN - Edward Beeson of San Francisco Clears the Bar at 6 Feet 7 5/8 Inches" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ "USATF - Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2016-08-21.
- ^ Hymans, Richard; Matrahazi, Imre. "IAAF World Records Progression" (PDF) (2015 ed.). International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- High jump world record progression International Olympic Committee